The scale on a map is 8cm : 5km. If the distance between two cities is 45km, how far apart in cm are the two cities on the map?
The scale means that every 8cm on the map corresponds to an actual distance of 5km. An actual distance of 45km is the same as 9 $\cdot$ 5km. The distance between the two cities on the map is 9 $\cdot$ 8cm, or 72cm.